For the last few weeks, I have been teaching through the most beloved Psalm of all time, Psalm 23.  That song ends with the statement that “Surely GOODNESS and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Think about the phrase, “GOODNESS will follow me.” That’s not a statement assuring us that every day will be filled with ”peaches and cream.” It is not asserting that bad things will never happen to God’s people.

Instead, we ought to view that promise as a statement of truth: A steady stream of the Lord’s support will always envelop us, regardless of our circumstances.

We should view that “goodness” as a representation of the very presence of God. The Lord promised Moses that “I, myself will make my GOODNESS pass before you…” (Ex. 33:19). And He continues to lead in our lives every day. But often in our frustration, we just fail to identify His presence.

The GOODNESS represents the very nature of God. Psalm 25 declares, “Good and upright is the Lord…” It is His very nature to be “good”- to relate to us from a perspective of ultimate blessing.

And that same GOODNESS signifies the fruit of the Spirit of God. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, GOODNESS and faithfulness.” When God is having His way in our lives, His goodness shines through. Unfortunately, we often cloud it with our disobedience.

The prophet Nahum assures us that we can also rest on the fact that His GOODNESS is a stronghold in the time of trouble. “The Lord is GOOD, a stronghold in the day of trouble…”

So this week, let’s connect the first verse of that Psalm with its last. If we did that, it might read: “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. Surely GOODNESS and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

My attitude is improving already…how about yours?